Attachment for rolling mills



p 4, 1934- s. T. MORELAND 1,972,158

ATTACHMENT FOR ROLLING MILLS] Filed 'Aug. 3 1, 1933 110.5 flrramvnfs,

Patented Sept. 4, 1934 ATTACHMENT FOR ROLLDNG MILLS Stephen T. Moreland,Canton, Ohio, assignor to The 'limken Roller Bearing Company, Canton,Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 31, 1933, Serial No.687,568

11 Claims. (Cl. 8038) apart by the work passing therethrough, theywillcontact with and drive the back-up rolls.

On the other hand, in the ordinary mill, when the work rolls are idling,they are likely to rub against the back-up rolls butwith a pressureinsuflicient to develop enough friction to turn the back-up rolls. Thiscondition is likely to result in grinding flat strips lengthwise of thebackup rolls and such flat strips are reflected in unevenness of thework and require frequent dressing of the back-up rolls. The principalobject of the present invention is to maintain frictional drivingengagement between the work rolls and back-up rolls even when the workrolls are idling. The invention consists in a device hereinafterdescribed for attachment to the necks of the work rolls for yieldablypressing such work rolls against the back-up rolls. It also consists inthe 26 parts and in the combinations and arrangements of partshereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein like numerals refer to like partswherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is a side view of my device applied to a pair of work rolls, withthe back-up rolls and frame of the mill indicated diagrammatically;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of my device on the line A--Aof Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the floating connection for attaching mydevice to the frame of the mill;

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the tapered roller bearing; and

Fig. 5 is a detail view illustrating a modification.

The mill indicated in the accompanying drawing is of these-calledcluster type wherein there are a pair of working rolls'l, 2 arranged oneabove the other and each provided with two back-up rolls 3, 4.

My attachment comprises two roll supports 5, which are spaced apart, andmeans, such as rods 6, for connecting them together. In the constructionillustrated, each roll support comprises side members 7 and horizontalpins 8 connecting them. As illustrated in the drawing, each pin has anend portion fitting in a hole provided therefor in one of the sidemembers and has an annular rib 9 that bearsagainst the inner face ofsaid side member. The pin is held against rotation by means of a setscrew 10 provided therefor in said side member. The other end of the pinis of reduced diameter to provide a shoulder 11 and has a sleeve 12mounted thereon, which sleeve bears against said shoulder and isprovided on its inner end with an annular flange 13 that bears againstthe inner face of the adjacent side member .of the support. The end ofsaid pin projects beyond said sleeve and is threaded and provided. witha castellated nut 14. An antifriction roller 15 is mounted upon each ofsaid pins by means of taper roller bearings interposed between them.Each roller is in the form of a hollow cylinder with its end portionscounterbored to form an annular seat for a cup or outer bearing member16 with a conical inner raceway surface. The cones or inner racewaymembers 17 are mounted directly on the pins and a circular series oftaper rollers 18 is interposed between said inner and outer racewaymembers. Closure rings or washers 19 are mounted on the pins with theirperipheral surfaces substantially in contact with the bores of thecylindrical rolls,

except that their adjacent edges are rabbeted to 30 receive piston rings20 that fit more tightly in said bores. The closure rings next to thebushing are suitably secured to the'fianges thereof, as by dowel pins21. An axial bore 22 extends from one end of each roll supporting pin.and

"communicates through a crossbore 23 with the -work rolls are securedtogether by rods or links 6 that extend horizontally between the necksof the work rolls. The side members of the roll supports areprovidedwith holes of somewhat greater diameter than said rods so as topermit limited movement between them longitudinally of said rods andtransversely thereto in all directions. Each and of such rods isthreaded and provided with threaded nuts 26 working thereon. Each rod isprovided with a heavy helical spring 27, one end of which bears againstthe adjacent roll support and the other end of which bears against a nut26 which serves as an abutment therefor and as a means of adjusting thecompression of said spring. The end of each rod extends .loosely throughan opening provided therefor in an anchor member 28 that is interposedbetween the adjacent roll support and the adjacent nut. The anchormember illustrated in the drawing comprises upright side members throughwhich the floating rods extend, which side members are bent horizontallyand joined together at their outer ends, thus forming a horizontal yoke.Extending upwardly throughthis yoke is a guide or limiting member 29from which the anchor member is normally spaced somewhat.

The attachment just described is mounted with its floating rods disposedhorizontally between the necks of the work rolls and with itsantifriction rolls disposed in position to contact with the necks ofsaid rolls, that is, with the upper antifriction roll of each pair ofwork supports in contact with the necks or the upper work roll and withthe lower antifriction roll of each pair of work supports in contactwith the necks or the lower work roll. By properly manipulating theadjusting screws on the floating rods, sufiicient pressure is exertedthrough the springs to press the work rolls into effective frictionalengagement with the back-up rolls. This action contemplates actuallifting of the upper work roll and such lifting is permitted by theclearance between the floatingrods and the roll supports and by theloose connection of the anchor with the framework. At the same time thatthe anchor member permits such movement, it limits such movement andmaintains the attachment as a whole in correct operative relation to themill.

According to the modification illustrated in Fig. 5, each of the workroll necks is provided with a groove 30 that is somewhat wider than thelength of the antifriction rolls. By fitting such antifriction rolls insaid grooves, it becomes unnecessary to anchor the floating rods to theframework, as the shoulders formed by said grooves prevent shifting ofthe attachment lengthwise of the work rolls.

Obviously the construction hereinbefore described admits of considerablevariation without departing from my invention, and I do not wish to belimited to the details described.

What I claim is:

1. An attachment for a rolling mill comprising two roll supports spacedapart and means independent of the mill connecting them, each supporthaving two rolls arranged respectively to bear against the upper and thelower work roll of a pair and cooperating with the rolls of the othersupport to hold the work rolls apart.

2. An attachment for a rolling mill comprising two roll supports spacedapart and means independent of the mill for resiliently pulling themtowards each other. each support having two rolls arranged respectivelyto bear against the upper and the lower work roll of a pair said pullingmeans being adapted to extend between the necks of the work rolls,whereby said support rolls are disposed on opposite sides of thevertical plane of the axes of said work rolls and tend to force saidwork rolls apart.

3. A self-contained attachment for a rolling mill comprising rodsindependent of the mill, two roll supports slidably mounted thereon andrelatively moveable towards and from each other, and two rolls on eachsupport arranged respectively to bear against the upper and the lowerwork roll of a pair with the rolls of one support disposed on one sideof the vertical plane of the axes of the work rolls and the rolls of theother support on the opposite side of said plane and means for movingsaid supports towards each other, whereby said support rolls tend toforce the work rolls apart.

4. A self-contained attachment for a rolling mill comprising rodsindependent of the mill, two roll supports slidably mounted thereon andrelatively moveable towards and from each other, and two rolls on eachsupport arranged respectively to bear against the upper and the lowerwork roll of a pair, and'means tending to pull said supports toward eachother, said means comprising helical springs on the end portions of saidrods and resting against shoulders on said rods.

5. An attachment for a rolling mill comprising two roll supports spacedapart and means .ior resiliently pulling them towards each other,

each support having two rolls arranged respectively to bear against theupper and the lower work roll of a pair, said means comprising rodsextending loosely through said supports and provided beyond saidsupports with moveable abutments therefor, and said rods having one endportion extending beyond the moveable abutments and threaded andprovided with a threaded nut and provided also with a helical springresting against said moveable abutment and said nut.

6. A self-contained attachment for a rolling mill comprising two rollsupports spaced apart and means independent 01 the mill connecting them,each support having two hollow rolls arranged respectively to bearagainst the upper and the lower work roll of a. pair, each supportcomprising side members and pins connecting them, and roller bearingsinterposed between said pins and said first mentioned rolls.

7. A self-contained attachment for a rolling mill comprising two rollsupports spaced apart and adjustable means independent of the millresiliently connecting them, each support having twohollow rollsarranged respectively to bear against the upper and the lower work rollof a pair, each support comprising side members and pins connectingthem, and roller bearings interposed between said pins and said firstmentioned rolls.

8. A self-contained attachment for a rolling mill comprising two rollsupports spaced apart and means independent of the mill connecting them,each of said supports comprising side members and pins connecting them,each pin having a rib bearing against the inner face of one side memberand having a reduced portion extending through the opposite side member,said reduced portionhaving thereon a bushing with a flange bearingagainst the inner side of the last mentioned side member, the firstmentioned rollers being in the form of hollow cylinders withcounterbored ends having conical raceway cups mounted therein, innerconical raceway members mounted on the pins, and taper roller bearingsinterposed between said inner and outer raceway members.

9. The combination with a rolling mill having a pair of work rollsandback-up rolls therefor of means for maintaining frictional drivingengagement between them when the work rolls are idling, said meanscomprising two roll supports at each end of the work rolls and arrangedrespectively on opposite sides of the necks of the work rolls, meansextending between said roll necks for pulling said supports towards eachother, and two rolls on each support arranged to bear respectivelyagainst the necks of the upper and the lower work roll.

10. The combination with a rolling millwhich has a pair 01' work rollsand back-up rolls therefor of means for maintaining frictional drivingengagement between said work rolls and said back-up rolls when the workrolls are idling, said means comprising floating rods extendinghorizontally between the necks of the work rolls with one end thereofmoveably connected to the frame of the mill, roll supportsslidablyrmounted on said rods and two rolls on each support arrangedrespectively to bear against the necks of the upper and lower workrolls.

11. The combination with a rolling mill which has a pair of work rollsand back-up rolls there-

